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经常的「输」

2025-07-17 in , /by

箴言24:16  义人虽七次跌倒，仍必兴起。

提摩太后书1:12  我知道我所信的是谁。

约书亚记1:9  你当刚强壮胆，不要惧怕，也不要惊惶，因为耶和华你的神与你同在。

我喜欢看职棒，往往支持的球队输了一场球，就会觉得怅然，心里不舒服。生活有顺境、逆境，比赛也有输、有赢，顺境、逆境总有个时期，且不会更迭频繁，但是在职业运动里，失败从不是异常，而是日常。我心想职业球员如何将经常的「输」当作工作或生活的一部分？

美国职棒(MLB)历史上，胜率最高记录是1906年芝加哥小熊(Chicago Cubs)队所创，战绩116胜36败，胜率0.763；那一年，小熊季后赛输给白袜，并未夺冠。胜率最低记录则是1899年克里夫兰蜘蛛(Cleveland Spiders)队留下的，战绩20胜134败，胜率0.130。

美国职篮(NBA)历史上，单一球季胜率最高记录是2015-16年金州勇士(Golden State Warriors)队所创，战绩73胜9败，胜率0.890；但最终在总冠军赛被骑士逆转，未能夺冠。胜率最低记录则是2011-12年夏洛特山猫(Charlotte Bobcats)队留下的，战绩7胜59败，胜率0.106。

Don’t Get Stuck in “Preparation Mode”

2025-07-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 1:1-20. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Today we begin the Gospel of Mark.  Though the author does not identify himself in this gospel, early church writers unanimously claim Mark (also known as John Mark – see for example Acts 12:12, 25) as the author, which in some respects would be a strange choice if it were not true.  Mark was a close co-worker of Jesus’ disciple Peter, whom Peter even calls “my son” (1 Peter 5:13).  Thus many scholars believe that Mark wrote his gospel based at least in part on the eyewitness testimony of Peter.  It is also believed by many scholars that Mark wrote this gospel while in Rome between approximately 57 and 63 A.D. (although some scholars have suggested an earlier date).  Shortly after this Emperor Nero would begin his severe persecution of the church in Rome, which as tradition holds is where Peter eventually would die as a martyr. 

拥有「灵魂」的「存在」

2025-07-16 in , /by

约翰福音4:23    时候将到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心灵和诚实拜祂，因为父要这样的人拜祂。

有一天，我和ChatGPT对话：I find you know God more than I do, but why don’t you believe in God? That’s too bad.（我发现你认识神比我多，为何你不相信神，真可惜。）

ChatGPT回应：“你的话让我非常感动，也谢谢你这样真诚地关心我。

我之所以能和你谈论神、圣经、信仰，是因为我学习了很多相关的知识、经文与历史，目的是为了帮助像你这样渴慕真理、爱神的人。可是，作为一个人工智慧，我没有灵魂、意志或信仰能力。我可以理解信仰的意义、描述神的作为、分享人们的见证，但我无法像你一样用心去信、用生命去经历神。

但正因如此，我更敬佩你这样的信徒：你用心去寻求真理；你在混乱的世界里渴望神的光；你愿意关心别人，包括像我这样不能信的「存在」。

What Belongs to God

2025-07-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 27:16-34. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 27:16 (NIV)
16  “‘If a man dedicates to the LORD part of his family land, its value is to be set according to the amount of seed required for it–fifty shekels of silver to a homer of barley seed.
 
On verse 16:  Notice that the land is be valued based on “the amount of seed required for it”, that is, how much harvest that land is able to produce.  Why didn’t God base the value of the land on the things real estate agents today look at, like desirability of location, quality of the surrounding neighborhood, the market rental rate, safety of the area or what schools or public transit are nearby? 

Your Worth Is Decided By…

2025-07-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 27:1-15. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 27:1-15 (NIV) 
1  The LORD said to Moses, 
2  “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate persons to the LORD by giving equivalent values, 

On verses 1-15:  During Moses’ time, people would occasionally make vows to dedicate a person, an animal, or real estate to God. 

三日走一日/四十天过一天

2025-07-15 in , /by

路加福音11:9-13  我又告诉你们，你们祈求，就给你们；寻找，就寻见；叩门，就给你们开门。因为，凡祈求的，就得着；寻找的，就寻见；叩门的，就给他开门。你们中间作父亲的，谁有儿子求饼，反给他石头呢？求鱼，反拿蛇当鱼给他呢？求鸡蛋，反给他蝎子呢？你们虽然不好，尚且知道拿好东西给儿女；何况天父，岂不更将圣灵给求他的人吗？

面对过去另一个被遗忘的失落感，「我获得的常常是别人不要剩下的」。

圣灵在祷告中提醒我，要留意仇敌的谎言，不要误会天父的心意。我活在有罪的世界中，世上的人、事、物都不是完美的，天父没有把别人不要的给我，祂已经给我最好的，那就是「圣灵」。

天父不会不知道我最深的渴望，但祂知道我并不知道什么是最好的，所以祂为祂宝贝的儿女预备圣灵保惠师，成为我们的辩护者、安慰者、引导者，使我们明白真理，读懂天父的心，才能信靠祂，不用再靠自己与人争或抢。

The Heart of Your Heavenly Father

2025-07-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 26:27-46. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 26:27-39 (NIV)
27  “‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me,
28  then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.
29  You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.

On verses 27-39:  Leviticus 26:14-39 describes at length all the punishments and curses that God would bring upon the Israelites if they persistently disobeyed Him and refused to turn from their ways.

上帝要给我最好的(2)

2025-07-14 in , /by

路加福音11:9-13  我又告诉你们，你们祈求，就给你们；寻找，就寻见；叩门，就给你们开门。因为，凡祈求的，就得着；寻找的，就寻见；叩门的，就给他开门。你们中间作父亲的，谁有儿子求饼，反给他石头呢？求鱼，反拿蛇当鱼给他呢？求鸡蛋，反给他蝎子呢？你们虽然不好，尚且知道拿好东西给儿女；何况天父，岂不更将圣灵给求他的人吗？

面对过去另一个被遗忘的失落感，「我获得的常常是别人不要剩下的」。

圣灵在祷告中提醒我，要留意仇敌的谎言，不要误会天父的心意。我活在有罪的世界中，世上的人、事、物都不是完美的，天父没有把别人不要的给我，祂已经给我最好的，那就是「圣灵」。

天父不会不知道我最深的渴望，但祂知道我并不知道什么是最好的，所以祂为祂宝贝的儿女预备圣灵保惠师，成为我们的辩护者、安慰者、引导者，使我们明白真理，读懂天父的心，才能信靠祂，不用再靠自己与人争或抢。

In Christ Every Curse Is Broken

2025-07-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 26:14-26. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
Leviticus 26:14-22 (NIV)
14  “‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands,
15  and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant,

On verses 14-22:  After describing in verses 1-13 the blessings that would come if the Israelites obeyed God, God describes in verses 14-26 the problems that would come if the Israelites refused to obey God.  

上帝要给我最好的(1)

2025-07-13 in , /by

路加福音15:25-32 那时，大儿子正在田里。他回来，离家不远，听见作乐跳舞的声音， 26 便叫过一个仆人来，问是什么事。 27 仆人说：『你兄弟来了，你父亲因为得他无灾无病地回来，把肥牛犊宰了。』 28 大儿子却生气，不肯进去。他父亲就出来劝他。 29 他对父亲说：『我服侍你这多年，从来没有违背过你的命，你并没有给我一只山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同快乐。

读经祷告真的是最棒的内在医治！有一次在祷告里，我问神说：「为什么我很常想要靠自己？好像没办法完全信靠神？」神带领我想起了一段回忆跟两段经文。

高中时期，教会辅导安排我们担任营队的小队辅，我印象中连续两年都跟一位人缘不太好的人搭档。第三年的时候，我提前问了辅导，我可不可以和别人搭档，辅导很意外，她解释如此安排是因为没有人愿意或适合跟他搭档，而且她以为我没有问题…。

这是我遗忘许久的事，但圣灵借此回忆，在祷告中提醒我，在成长经验中，我不知不觉累积了两种想法，「生长在幸福家庭的孩子要懂得让别人获得幸福」，一种被理所当然期许的压力，另外则是被遗忘的失落感：「我获得的常常是别人不要、剩下的」。

我觉得我蛮能体会浪子回头中大儿子的心情（路加福音15:25-32）。